Every monsoon, a quiet menace surges across India’s waterways, turning glistening rivers, backwaters and lakes into green deserts. This threat is the water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), an innocuous-looking aquatic plant which has delicate lilac flowers that belies its destructive power. Nowhere is its impact more pervasive than in Kerala — a State renowned for its … Read more
Image used for representation purpose only. | Photo Credit: The Hindu First made-in-India semiconductor chip will be launched in the market by the end of this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday (August 15, 2025). Independence Day LIVE Addressing the nation on the 79th Independence Day, Mr. Modi said that six semiconductor units … Read more
The model of Gaganyaan crew module, spacecraft that will carry a crew of three astronauts into orbit and back to Earth. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu India is working towards becoming self-reliant in the space sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday (August 15, 2025). “The nation is proud of our space sector, … Read more
Since Independence, India has drawn on science and technology as key pillars of the nation-building process. The vision of its first leaders, but especially Jawaharlal Nehru, was to foster a rational temper among the populace, empowering citizens not only to adopt technological advancements but also to imbue everyday life and national development with evidence-based reasoning … Read more
Since Independence, India has drawn on science and technology as key pillars of the nation-building process. The vision of its first leaders, but especially Jawaharlal Nehru, was to foster a rational temper among the populace, empowering citizens not only to adopt technological advancements but also to imbue everyday life and national development with evidence-based reasoning … Read more
On August 15, 1950, India was celebrating its Independence Day. The mood was upbeat throughout the country. Just as celebrations were winding down for the day, a great disaster struck. At around 7:30 pm, an earthquake of magnitude 8.6 — the strongest ever recorded on land — jolted the country’s Northeast and some neighbouring areas … Read more
Elephants roam in Tsavo West National Park near Voi town in Taita-Taveta County, Kenya, August 7, 2025. | Photo Credit: AP For farmers in the Taita hills in southern Kenya, elephants are a menace: they raid crops and will occasionally injure or even kill people. Farmer Richard Shika, 68, has had some close encounters. “One … Read more
Bread stored in the refrigerator often goes stale faster. | Photo Credit: Charles Chen/Unsplash When bread becomes stale, it loses its soft, fresh texture and becomes dry and hard. As it happens, this isn’t just because it dries out. Staling is mainly caused by a process called starch retrogradation. When bread is baked, the heat … Read more
Science Quiz: Overturned ideas in the history of science Visual: In the mediaeval era, astronomers defended the geocentric model of the universe using the idea of epicycles and Z, shown here as the smaller and larger dashed circles, respectively. Name Z. START THE QUIZ 1 / 6 | In the mediaeval era, astronomers defended the … Read more
Can you weigh an elephant before and after it picks up a one-rupee coin, and tell the difference? You can if the measurement is precise. To detect a 4-gram coin on a 4-tonne creature, the scales must come with a resolution of at least 1 part per million (ppm). Precise measurements such as these routinely … Read more